I'm about to start my first build -- before I purchase, does this look like a good build for a mainstream (light gaming, media, etc) pc? I may use it as a quasi-media center in the future. I'm also looking to keep energy consumption as low as possible, keep it quiet, and avoid the need to upgrade in the near future.
Motherboard: GA-EP35-DS3L ($89.99)
CPU: Core 2 Duo E7200 ($134.99)
4 Gigs of OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 2GB DDR2 1066 ($179.98 - $70 in rebates)
GIGABYTE GV-NX86T256H GeForce 8600GT 256MB ($87.99)
WD Caviar GP 500GB SATA HD ($89.99)
ASUS DVD Burner with LightScribe ($32.99)
Sonata Designer Case w/Antec Earthwatts 500W power supply (already purchased - $89.99 after rebate)
Keep in mind 1066 ddr2 are overclocked 800mhz sticks, and often default back to 800 on p35 board. Just manually set it back up if that happens.
Also, 8600gt isn't good enough even for light gaming. Spend $12 more on a 8800gs for acceptable frame rates, or $170 on a g92 8800gts for good performance.
I'd love a fanless GPU if possible, and that's not an option for any of the 8800's that I know of. Any especially quiet ones you know of?
Dual slot cooler models tend to run quieter. Bigger fans can spin slower and still keep the card cool. There are fanless models for non-bottom-feeder cards, but they're more expensive.
I use a g92 8800gts (dual slot cooler), and cannot hear the fan even while running Crysis.
The ECS 8800GT has a cooler that comes with fans and fan mounts, but the fans do not come installed and are optional, so you can run that fanless assuming you get a bit of airflow around it.
